Tag archives for Digital Audio Workstation

Early in the music industry music was recorded and produced using hardware based equipment. This equipment used analog methods to save the sounds. Analog is synonymous with tape recorders. As technology progressed digital recording replaced analog; we now live in a time where digital is the standard. Digital is used to produce music. Digital is the end product. The digital revolution has allowed musicians and songwriters the ability to record and produce songs in home studios. The center of this revolution is the personal computer. This machine changes the way artist create music. The basic home studio has several items at its core. This core is what makes up a Digital Audio Workstation (DAW). The DAW setup consists of a computer, music software package, audio interface, microphones, monitors, instruments, and a midi keyboard.

There are several brands of music software package that make up the digital audio workstation. Here is a brief description for each type. Continue reading »

You’ve written song songs and now you want to record them. The problem you are facing is you lack equipment and software to help you record your songs. On top of that you have a very limited budget. Is there any way you can get started and not spend a ton of money?

Yes, it is possible to do this. The cost of equipment and software can get out of hand. This is especially true if you go for the high end stuff. But there is an alternative that can save you money. You can easily start your own home recording studio that will allow you to capture your songs for a few hundred dollars. Of course there will be some limitation to what you can do. However, with some creativity you can work around these limitations. To get started you need to evaluate your minimum requirements. Keep in mind that you have the choice to either purchase or item or opt to find a free alternative. Here are the components you need to set up your home recording studio. Continue reading »

The digital audio workstation, also known as DAW, is used by recording artist and producer to record, edit and play back digital audio. The DAW consists of four basic components. The first item in the system is a computer. This can be MAC or PC depending on the user’s preference. The second piece of the system is the sound converter/audio interface. This converts the analog sound to digital. The third component is the software. The software provides a GUI that allows the user to work with the digital audio sounds. Finally, there is a requirement for some sort of input device. This can range from a mouse, to MIDI keyboard, microphone or musical instrument. For the best quality sound the computer needs a good sound card; along with a program that allow for editing and processing the audio. The range of software programs vary depending on the features available. The program could be a simple sound editor all the way up to a complete software suite. Continue reading »

Learn how you can use this songwriting software to help you in your music productions. Here is a comprehensive walk through of Cakewalk’s SONAR X2 with Brandon Ryan and Seth Perlstein. Watch and learn the many features that will help you with your audio production. Continue reading »

Cakewalk Sonar X2 Producer is a digital audio workstation made by Cakewalk for recording, editing, mixing, mastering and outputting audio. It has recently been acquired by Roland.

Professional Recording, Mixing, and Mastering

From getting a great tone to releasing the final mix, today’s musicians must master every element of the music production process. SONAR X2 is there every step of the way and takes each element to the next level of power and usability. And thanks to the revolutionary Skylight user interface, SONAR X2 lets you move seamlessly among the elements, instantly going from recording to editing to mixing and back again. Dial up the perfect synth sound with Rapture or a searing guitar tone with TH2 Producer. Record it, tighten it, chop it, and drop it in the Matrix for real time triggering. Shape it with the expandable ProChannel. Warm it with the new Console Emulator. And do it all with a single Smart Tool. Continue reading »

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Songwriter Tip:

The hook is often the title of the song and is similar to a slogan for a company. In most cases, a song contains a chorus that is the same or has only very small changes to it’s content each time it’s repeated. Some songs have no chorus, but most do. A song format of AAA would mean three verses with no chorus for instance. Some songs use a bridge as well. A bridge is usually of different length than a verse and usually has different music accompaniment. A bridge usually will ‘sum up’ a song’s message, or flash forward or backwards in time or often give a different perspective or surprise twist to a song.